South African ed-tech startup Digemy has launched a gamified, data-light e-learning platform to educate users on COVID-19 and the ways behaviour change can help slow the spread of the global pandemic.
Launched early in 2017, Digemy is a provider of educational technology platforms to corporates that focus on building and retaining knowledge, rather than the consumption of learning material. This technology is provided in audio, video and text format on mobile, tablet and PC.
The startup, which raised funding late last year, said in spite of the fact many African countries were locking down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many people still did not understand the dangers of the virus and how to reduce their risk of contracting it.
With this in mind, Digemy has partnered marketing agency The Loudhailer to launch a course on COVID-19, aimed at explaining the virus in simple terms that anyone can understand. It also teaches the practical measures people can take to prevent getting the virus and passing it on, the effects the virus has on the body, the impacts of self-isolation and lockdown on society, how to recognise whether you have the virus, and the steps to follow if you do.
“The best thing we can do to slow the spread of the virus is to increase our knowledge on it and radically change our behaviour. Since this is very difficult, we felt it was our duty to release a platform that not only educates people on how they can actually change their behaviour and why it is extremely necessary, but also ensure that this information sticks by letting them learn in a fun, gamified way,” said Kobus Louw, managing director of Digemy.
The platform allows users to test and improve their knowledge of the virus in an entertaining and engaging way, with points and badges to be won to encourage participants to re-engage with the platform. As learners increase their knowledge levels of key concepts over time, they earn more points and move up the leaderboard.
Digemy will also be offering a ZAR15,000 (US$840) cash prize to winners on the top of the leaderboard, part of which will be donated to an organisation of the winner’s choice that is currently fighting the virus on the ground.
